Remembering Sirius
by Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
Summary: ABANDONED. Sorry! It's Christmas break of sixth year and Harry has yet to recover from losing Sirius. When Dumbledore calls him to his office, he offers him a chancea chance to see his godfather, one last time, but he hasn't told him everything about it.
1. Prologue: The Chance

**Remembering Sirius**

Chapter One: _Prologue: The Chance_

**Author's Note: **This is my first fanfic, so I'd really appreciate some feedback. I have the first 7/8 chapters posted on MNFF, so if anyone is impatient (I know I am) you can go there and read it. The updates should be coming quickly, as 8 chapters are finished, but after chapter 8 gets up…you have been warned. If you review mine, I'll review yours, and I'll also respond to everyone who reviews.Thanks so much for taking the time to read this…please review!

Harry sat alone on his four-poster—all the other sixth-year boys had left. It was Christmas break, and though Harry had been invited to Headquarters along with Ron and Hermione, he couldn't stand the thought of being back in Number 12 Grimmauld Place. That would mean walking where Sirius had walked, eating where Sirius had eaten, and—worst of all—facing Kreacher the house-elf, who had betrayed Sirius with a smile on his face, drowning in his own sickening laughter. A hot rage swelled up inside of Harry, as it always did when he found someone to blame for losing Sirius—Kreacher, Bellatrix, Voldemort, even Sirius himself. It had been like this all year—he'd distanced himself from his friends and spent most of his free time being angry or depressed. He didn't want to get as close to anyone as he had been to Sirius—they'd all leave sooner or later. First his parents, and then the closest thing to a parent he had—who was to say that there wouldn't be more? Harry wasn't willing to take that chance, not when he was still tearing himself apart over Sirius.

The break was almost over, but Harry's presents lay unopened at the foot of his bed. He threw them unceremoniously under the four-poster and wondered if he would ever have another happy Christmas--or happy thought. It was then that Neville walked in--_no, stumbled, as he always did_, thought Harry savagely. He had forgotten that Neville was staying at Hogwarts, and as far as Harry was concerned, anyone who disturbed him was just someone to direct his rage at. He swung his hangings around, but soon found out that just knowing that Neville was bumbling around the room was enough to drive him away. Ripping the hangings back open, he stormed out as Neville gave a feeble, "Harry?"

Harry tore down the steps to the common room, but he knew he wouldn't find shelter there. Glancing around, he found that he was right—a few people were scattered around the place. Scowling, he made for the entrance. As he flung open the Fat Lady and started to rush out, he ran straight into someone coming in. Harry fell to the floor with a thump. _So much_ _for seeking shelter in an empty classroom_, he thought, for as he placed his glasses back on and looked up, he saw McGonagall with her hands on her hips, her lips pursed, and her expression stern.

"The headmaster would like to see you, Potter," she said stiffly, then turned on her heel, clearly expecting Harry to follow her. Harry quickly got up and trailed behind McGonagall, not daring to say a word to the already disgruntled professor. They walked down endless staircases, occasionally skipping a step or jumping to the next moving platform just in time. Past Muggle Studies, Charms, and various other classes they walked while Harry analyzed the situation. What had he done? Why would Dumbledore want to see him? He didn't think he'd done anything wrong, but before his confused thoughts could work out an answer, they arrived at Dumbledore's office. "Bertie Bott's," ordered McGonagall, and the gargoyles sprang aside obediently.

"I believe you know what to do," she said, gesturing toward the now-familiar circling staircase that led up to Dumbledore's office. Harry stepped on it and waited to be carried up to the headmaster.

"Oh, and Potter," said McGonagall before stepping out, "Do make certain that the headmaster is not coming out while you are going in."

And with that, she swept out the entrance, her long black robes billowing behind her.

Harry stepped off the staircase and knocked on Dumbledore's door.

"Come in," answered the old wizard inside. He walked in cautiously, finding everything exactly the same since he had been here last—with the exception of the things Harry had broken in his temper the previous year.

"Ah, Harry," said Dumbledore. "Sit down."

Harry did not sit down. He was still harboring some anger at the headmaster. As if Dumbledore had read his mind—and he probably had—he said, "You have been avoiding me. All year. I understand, and I will not pressure you to stop. You have to make that decision on your own—you have to heal. After what was said at the end of last year, your resentment is completely understandable. I realize that you have been experiencing grief beyond anything you know. You can barely remember your parents, and though you mourn that loss, you knew Sirius. Cared for him. Loved him. You want to be left alone, but you can't bear it by yourself. I have given you time on your own to grieve, but I know you need closure. I can give it to you."

Harry went over this in his head.

"I don't understand," he said.

"I don't expect you to, not yet." Dumbledore turned and walked over to an instrument that Harry had had experience with—the Pensieve. He placed his wand on the side of his head and pulled the silvery memories out. After placing them in the Pensieve, he turned back to Harry.

"I don't know if you have realized this, but on my Pensieve, you are able to travel beyond the memories of whomever you are exploring. This is not true for every Pensieve—one of my inventions that I preferred not to release. A structured time-travel, if you will—you are able to visit the past, but as it is only a memory, time cannot be affected by your actions. I have used it on earlier occassions to better analyze how much of the prophecy Voldemort was aware of. However, in light of...recent events, I thought it unwise to inform to Ministry of my find."

Harry still didn't understand—granted, he had the general gist, but how would his "actions" do anything anyway? Memories could only be looked upon. Then again, Harry never really understood anything Dumbledore ever said.

"The memory I have deposited in the Pensieve is one at the time of Sirius Black's sixth year at Hogwarts, over Christmas break. Precisely the same time as it is here—a few days after Christmas, but a couple days left before term starts." Dumbledore strode over to the entrance, but he turned back when he reached the door. With a twinkle in his eye, he said, "You really do look just like your father, Harry," and walked out of the office.

Harry was alone with his thoughts, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to be. What was Dumbledore thinking? Wouldn't seeing Sirius dig deeper into a wound that was already bleeding? Harry took a tentative step towards the Pensieve, then backed away. The temptation of seeing his godfather was overwhelming. Just the fact that he had the chance laid at his feet absorbed him, and he sat in the office, drinking in memories of the way Sirius' eyes had glittered conspiratorially when he was involved in the action; the way his laugh had sounded like a bark . . . the way his laughter had faded when he'd fallen through the Veil. Harry buried his head in his hands—it had been nearly half a year since the Veil had consumed Sirius, but his emotions were still raw. He felt like crying, and what was he _supposed_ to do? Obviously, Dumbledore thought that this would make things easier, but Harry wasn't so sure. Wouldn't only being able to see Sirius make him yearn for more; yearn for things that could never be? Wouldn't Dumbledore have realized this? A silent battle raged inside of Harry. No, he told himself firmly. He couldn't, he _wouldn't_ do this. He rushed over to the door, but his hand was on the doorknob when he ran back to the Pensieve and sank to his knees.

"What should I do..." he moaned, torn between seeing Sirius again and protecting his heart, but the temptation was killing him. "It'll help," he told himself, "I know it will," but his voice sounded like he was making a statement, not stating a fact. An image of Sirius, eyes twinkling, face lit up in laughter, hair tossed back, filled his thoughts. He was going to see Sirius again, he was! Harry couldn't believe how long it had taken him to reach this conclusion. He stood up, leaned into the Pensieve, and saw an image of Dumbledore's office, some years previously. He was stroking Fawkes, and appeared to be talking to him. Smiling, Harry leaned in farther, and felt himself being swept away, away to a time where he had nothing to worry about, away to where his dreams would come true, and most importantly, away to where Sirius still lived without a care.

"My goodness, Fawkes, I have gotten gadgets, and widgets, and what-cha-ma-callits _galore_ this Christmas, I need yet _another_ bookshelf for all the new books I have acquired, but alas, my sock droor remains as full as it was before. Well, I'll have to let by-gones be by-gones, and maybe next Christmas a pair of warm, wooly socks will complete my pile of presents. Yes, I certainly hope . . ."

Harry was mildly amused by Dumbledore's little chat with Fawkes, but he had more pressing matters to attend to. Like finding Sirius.

Dumbledore chuckled to himself as he descended the circling staircase. Harry would have his reservations at first, but eventually he would give in to his desire to reconnect with Sirius. _Oh yes,_ thought Dumbledore, _Harry will be in for quite a surprise when he finds his godfather—or when his godfather finds him._


	2. Finding Sirius

**Remembering Sirius**

Chapter Two--_Finding Sirius_

Thanks SO much to **Mage Ren **and **Salior Song! **This is my first time posting something on so there may be a few problems... (like no extra spacing between separated paragraphs) I haven't really figured out how to edit the story if it's already posted...please bear with me!

**Mage Ren**--My first ever reviewer on FF>net! Thanks, I loved that part, too. ;-)

**Sailor Song**--I totally agree.

Harry hadn't thought about where he would go once he was in Dumbledore's memory. It wasn't like finding Snape in his memory--he had to look for Sirius.

He was closest to the Great Hall, and it was around lunchtime, so he headed there first. He didn't pay much attention to anyone else--they couldn't see him anyway. Walking into the Great Hall, he scanned the long Gryffindor table. He saw a girl with curly brown hair, a tall lanky boy, and a girl who looked like Parvati Patil, but no Sirius.

He couldn't really imagine Sirius studying--or being quiet--in the library, so he could cross that off his list of places to go. The Gryffindor common room seemed like a good place to look, so he hurled off in the direction of the Fat Lady. When he reached her, he realized that he didn't know the password. He would just have to wait there until someone came along. The Fat Lady yawned.

"Password?"

Harry looked behind him--_there was no one there. _His eyes widened. Was the Fat Lady talking to _him?_ She had to be; there was no one there! But that meant that she could see him, and this was just a memory!

"Really, are you just going to _stand _there all day? I could be elsewhere, you know, you're wasting my time!"

Just then, Harry was spared from answering by the Fat Lady opening and a girl his age coming out.

"Oh, hey James," she said, "What happened to your forehead?"

Harry reacted quicker this time.

"Oh, I, uh...fell," he said.

_Quick, but lame,_ thought Harry. He didn't understand this, but he'd have to go along with it.

"Okay..." said the girl, a trace of a smile on her face. "I thought you went home for Christmas?"

"Oh, yes, that...I, uh, came back early."

"I can see that--well, I have to go, so...see you around."

"Yeah..."said Harry vaguely. He was using a Pensieve, not a time turner, so why was this memory acting like the past in its present...or the present in the past...oh, this was confusing him. Dumbledore had told him this Pensieve was different, but he had used it before and this had never happened. He must have put some kind of charm on it. _Thanks for the heads-up, headmaster,_ thought Harry.

"REALLY! Am I just going to hang _open_ all day? I--"

Harry stepped inside the common room and closed the Fat Lady. It looked the same, except for the people--it was break, so there were only a few there. If he looked straight in the middle of the room, he couldn't see anyone. For a second, he pretended that he was in his own time, and that if he turned his head, he would see Dean, or Colin, or someone familiar. He might even be happy to see Malfoy--_no, scratch that,_ he thought, no Malfoy was one of the perks of this...thing. When he turned his head, all he saw was a brown-haired boy he didn't recognize.

Suddenly, Harry remembered Sirius. The shock of what had happened made him temporarily forget what he was doing. Right, the dormitory, he thought, and headed for the stairs. He couldn't help thinking about what he had been doing in these places earlier . . . or was it later? He reached the sixth year boys dormitory and looked inside. A boy with dark hair was sitting on the bed closest to the entrance. For a split second, he thought it was Dean--then disregarded the thought when he saw how short the boy was.

Might as well do this the right way, he thought.

"Hey," said Harry.

The dark-haired boy didn't respond. He raised his eyebrows and gave Harry a disdainful look.

Stupid, he thought, keep your mouth shut unless it's Sirius. Wait...Sirius! Of course--he would be able to talk to him now! He hadn't felt this excited since Umbridge was sacked--but even then, he couldn't enjoy it as much in the aftermath of Sirius dying.

Don't think about that, he told himself sternly as he sat on his bed. He's alive now--or, rather, here.

"Uh, James?" said the boy amusedly. "That would be Lupin's bed--you sleep next to it, remember?" He pointed to the bed closest to the window. Smirking, he got up and walked out. _Git._

Sirius obviously wasn't here, so he decided to look at the Quidditch pitch. Wait...that was his dad's bed--he found his legs moving toward it and his arms opening the trunk.

Inside was An Advanced Guide to Defense Against the Dark Arts, The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6, more books, a quill...the invisibility cloak! Harry picked it up and set it aside. Something fell out--it had been concealing a piece of paper. Turning it over, Harry smiled as he saw the initials L.E. and a picture of a 16-year-old Snape hanging upside down. The size of his nose was probably exaggerated, as well as the acne. He set it aside and looked back into the trunk. If the two-way mirror was here, it would be a lot easier to find Sirius. He found something better--a piece of parchment! He wasn't sure if this would work, but--

"_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,"_ recited Harry. A map of Hogwarts, complete with moving labeled dots, appeared--he had been right! He saw the dot of Sirius lounging beneath the oak by the lake. Putting the invisibility cloak back in the trunk, he dashed out of the dormitory.

Down in the common room, he saw the sandy-haired boy sitting by himself, doing his homework. _Git,_ he thought again. _Hope he's alone because he has no friends._

Harry stepped out of the castle, barely able to contain his excitement. He had never been so happy to see that tree. He resisted the urge to break into a run when he saw a 16-year-old Sirius leaning against it, looking much better then he had when Harry last saw him. The girl Harry had talked to at the Gryffindor Tower entrance was over at the lake with some other girls. She kept throwing glances over at Sirius, who wasn't looking back. Harry could tell he was interested, though. Flattening his hair over his forehead, he reached him, filled with elation that made him wonder if he had a cheering charm on him.

"Prongs! Why are you back early, mate?" said Sirius.

Harry was in his element--talking to Sirius like this came so naturally that he slipped into the role of his teenage father without thinking.

"Just got bored, I guess," he said, unable to keep a grin from spreading on his face.

"Well, good--I've been bored out of my mind, being the only Marauder at Hogwarts. Time for some action!"


	3. Action

**Remembering Sirius**

Chapter 3: _Action_

**Author's Note:** Thanks so very much to **cassie89 **and **Mage Ren **for reviewing! I update as soon as I get a good amount of reviews, so...review! I'm _very _glad to hear that all of you who have reviewed so far like it.

**cassie89: **Thanks for the review! As earlier stated, it sped up the updating. ;-)

**Mage Ren: **I'm glad to hear you like it! Chapter 8 has been in the MNFF queue since the beginning of July, so...it'll probably get on here faster.

--

They had to be raving mad—there was so much that could go wrong with this...but it was fun!

They were in the library, watching a teenage Snape—er, Snivellus—pour over Defense Against the Dark Arts books. Harry looked across the room and saw Sirius give him the slightest of nods.

_Here goes nothing,_ he thought.

"Hello, Snivellus," he said.

The reaction couldn't have been more perfect. Snape jumped up and took a few steps toward Harry, fingering his wand.

"Potter," he spat, hatred etched in every line of his face, "What are _you_ doing in the library? Decided to finally crack open a book, eh?"

Sirius was slipping into his dog form and walking toward the table with stuff on it. He had to keep Snape's attention on him--

"No," said Harry, his voice calmly serious, "Here on Madam Pince's orders. Didn't want you ruining all the books—what with the grease and snot and everything, it's understandable."

Snape's wand was pointed at him now, his face flushed with rage. Perfect.

"You filthy little imbecile! Strutting around the castle like you already play Quidditch for England, jinxing anyone who looks twice at you, stringing along—"

"Calm down, Snivelly, don't get your dandruff in a bunch." Harry was smirking now—it was so much fun to have the upper hand on him! "So sorry to disappoint you and all; I know you must have spent all night thinking up that line, and I do enjoy our little visits, but I really must go. Until we meet again, you poorly-groomed Dark Arts freak."

Snape seemed too angry for words, only managing to sputter a "You—you--!". Harry took a step and bumped his shoulder, turning his head with one last smirk. He crossed the room, putting a little strut into his step just to irk Snape and found Sirius around the corner, hidden from sight. He was back in his human form, and doubled over with silent laughter.

"Here he goes," said Sirius, "Watch."

Snape was so enraged that he was shaking. He made to sit down on his chair and—

BANG.

A horrible odor was wafting through the library—Snape had sat on a Dungbomb. Harry and Sirius peered through the shelves as Madam Pince swooped down on Snape.

"How DARE you!" she shrieked. "This is a LIBRARY! There are absolutely NO—"

Her eyes had drifted toward the table where Snape's books lay. She looked about ready to explode. Snape looked about ready to cry.

"BANNED CURSES AND HEXES?" she bellowed, holding up the book from the desk, "THAT WAS IN THE RESTRICTED SECTION, THAT WAS! You'll pay for this, boy!"

They were all shaking—Madam Pince with fury, Snape with fear, and Harry and Sirius with laughter—as the librarian led Snape out by the ear.

As soon as the door closed, they collapsed, gasping and wiping tears of mirth from their eyes. Sirius had transfigured Snape's book to look like one from the Restricted Section while Madam Pince's back was turned.

"It'll be wearing off any second now...we should go."

And no sooner did they slip out the back entrance was the screaming replaced by confused inquiries.

--

"That was perfect, Padfoot!" exclaimed Harry as they walked down the hall, "I can still smell the Dungbomb!"

It was then that a girl with auburn hair rounded the corner.

"Why, hello Alice," said Sirius politely, "How have you—"

"Don't start with me, Black," said the girl, "You've been up to something, haven't you? I can tell by your sickening smirks. Messing around with Severus, I expect—"

"Now, what makes you think that?" cut in Harry. The girl—Alice?—raised her eyebrows coldly. "All right, then—nothing he didn't deserve."

"It doesn't matter if he deserved it, James! You're just sinking to his level!"

"And—why do you care?" said Sirius. "Unless…you're looking out for us, aren't you? And I think I have a pretty good idea why."

Alice glared at him. "It's no wonder Lily detests you both—your overconfident, cocky egos are, despite what you may think, NOT a turn-on!"

"Oh, really? Is THAT why Deirdre couldn't keep her eyes off me outside? Thanks for clearing that up for me."

"You know what? You're just as bad as the rest of your family! You go on about how horrible they are, but just because they're in Slytherin and you're in Gryffindor means NOTHING when you act the way you do!"

Sirius' cool demeanor was gone—Alice had struck a nerve.

"I resent that," he said.

"Resent it all you want; it doesn't change anything."

Alice looked as if she would like nothing more than to punch Sirius, but then thought better of it. She turned on her heel and stormed off.

"Smooth, Padfoot...very smooth."

"Ah, shut it, Prongs."

"Why don't we go down to the kitchens? I think this is cause enough for celebration."

"What, Alice managing to get me angry?"

"Well, that too, but I was thinking of the look on dear old Snivellus's face."

"Hear, hear!"

--

"Eeee! Ah-hah, ho!"

The pear was still laughing uncontrollably from the tickling as the portrait swing open to reveal the kitchen.

A dozen house-elves rushed to meet them as they stepped inside, a clothed elf with exceptionally long ears at the front.

"We is happy to see yous again, sirs! What is you wanting this time?"

"Butterbeer," said Harry.

"Firewhisky," joined in Sirius.

"Some rolls—"

"And chicken—"

"And pumpkin juice—"

The house-elves scrambled around the kitchen to meet every demand. Soon both Harry and Sirius were cradling large amounts of food in their arms.

"Guess we won't be needing dinner tonight," said Harry.

--

_Sirius's POV_

James and Sirius were in the Gryffindor Tower, devising ways to humiliate Snape over the food they got from the kitchen.

"We could turn his hair pink," suggested James through a mouthful of chicken.

Sirius took a swig of firewhisky. "Or we could make ourselves look like him and do god knows what."

"Think of the possibilities! I can just see him now...shame it takes a month to brew Polyjuice Potion."

"Polyjuice Potion? When did we use that?"

For a second, Sirius saw something flicker in James's face. Embarrassment? Why would he feel embarrassed?

"Oh, my dad had a book on it somewhere in our house."

"Alright—hey, speaking of potions, what if we 'accidentally' spilled our enlargening potion on him in class!"

James snorted into his butterbeer. "Think of the size of his nose!"

The portrait opened and Sam Thomas walked in. He glared at them.

"Or," said Sirius, not bothering to keep his voice down, "We could throw it on this git."

"Hey Potter!" said Sam, "Need any help finding the dormitory, too? The girls' dormitory's on the right; the guys' on the left. Hmmm...I can't really tell! You decide where you're supposed to go."

Sirius looked over at James. He could see more embarrassment in his eyes.

"Turn right, then," said James, "and say hello to all the other girls for me, would you?"

"You're just jealous because Lily likes me better than you!" said Sam.

"Yeah?" shot back James, "Well then, why don't you go put makeup on each other and gossip about what boys you like?"

Sirius cut in, "Yes, leave us alone, would you? Your 'over-confident, cocky ego' just makes you look like a stupid git."

They both laughed at this. Suddenly James jumped up.

"Ferretus!" he shouted. Sam was there long enough to register shock, but the next second, he was a madly twittering ferret. James was directing him with his wand—he bounced from the ceiling to the floor and everywhere in between. They kept him like this long enough for them to regain the ability to breathe after laughing so hard, which took a fair few minutes, then James muttered, if a bit resentfully, "Finite Incantatem."

Sam turned back into a human and looked at them with horror and revulsion, them scrambled back through the entrance. This had them laughing for another five minutes before they could talk again. Finally, Sirius said,

"That was excellent, Prongs, when's you come up with it!"

"Oh, he just looked so moody...I thought he could do with some excitement."

But as much as Sirius wanted to enjoy the moment, he couldn't help think that something was odd about James.


	4. Discoveries

**Author's Note:** Wow--you guys are awesome! I updated the story early in the day, and I came back with four reviews waiting! Glad to see this fic is snagging more readers/reviewers...reviewers are especially appreciated! Thanks to all of the following--

**Elaine02: **Hmm...you know, I was thinking about that, but I'm not entirely sure it will happen. At least, it won't in the first eight chapters (which are written). I'm debating between that and one other idea I have--you'll see what I mean later when I think it might be too soon. Okay, I'm rambling. Sorry.

**Salazara: **Glad to hear it--thanks much.

**iceangle998: **Here's your update! ;-)

**N.E.W.T.S.: **Hey, me too! Haha...good to know.

**LouLou Writer 2005: **Wow! Thanks for elaborating on what you like.

**Porcelain Prayer: **Awesome! That's the best thing for me; when people make exceptions about what they read for this story.

**maneatingbananas:** Good...I'm glad you think this is original. _Really_ glad. By the way, I love the name.

**The Mistress of Shadows: **Wow, yourself! Oh, I _love _when people say this is funny...hey! Another cool name! Props.

**SecretWanderings:** Oh _wow!_ That's the best review I've ever gotten, MNFF! I don't think I've ever been on anyone's favorite author's list, and like I said to **Porcelain Prayer**, for me the best thing is when people make exceptions in what they read for this story. I'm so glad I got you into these fics--there are some really awesome ones on here! Oh, and thanks for pointing out the mistake--I'm gonna go back to each chapter and edit when I have time. Okay, this is getting too long. ThAnK YoU So MuCh! (I'd read your fics, but I haven't finished the LoTR series, and I haven't gotten around to the last Star Wars movies yet.)

--

_Sirius's POV_

Sirius woke up in the morning to someone muttering something. He turned over and saw that it was James.

"Sirius...Sirius...no..."

James was dreaming about him? He was twitching now—was he having nightmares? About _him?_ Shaking his head, he got out of his four poster and changed into his robes.

"Don't...my fault...all my fault..."

_What's your fault, mate?_ wondered Sirius. Thinking it best not to wake him, he headed toward the entrance and descended the stairs.

"Stay away...no...no...please..."

--

_Harry's POV_

Harry woke up, but he didn't feel at all refreshed. Almost every night he'd had nightmares—nightmares about Sirius and the Veil, about Cedric and the graveyard, and his old, ever-recurring nightmare about Voldemort killing his parents. Last night it had been about Sirius. It cheered him up slightly that he was, at the moment, alive and well. Harry slipped his robes on with a trace of a smile on his face and noticed that Sirius's bed was empty. Deciding to look for him in the common room, he headed downstairs.

--

_Sirius's POV_

The whole James-having-nightmares thing was really disturbing Sirius. He had been sitting next to the fire for hours, and he still couldn't figure out what was bothering James, or why it was disturbing him so much.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around to see James coming down the stairs. Everything about him looked the same...the jet-black, untidy hair, the long arms swinging at his side...but something was different..._off _about him that he just couldn't place. It frustrated him that his best friend, who trusted him more than anyone else in the world, might be hiding something from him.

But instead of expressing his concerns, Sirius smiled at his best mate and walked down to breakfast with him.

--

_Harry's POV _

Harry could hardly believe how happy he was. It was like he was just floating through life, living only for the next laugh. At night he was haunted in his dreams by memories of what happened, or didn't have to happen, but the guilt and regret washed away like specks of dirt as soon as he woke up. They were replaced by a happiness so pure and fulfilling, he found the horrible feelings of dread that usually resided in his stomach replaced by nervousness and excitement. It was amazing what one day of having Sirius back in his life did to him.

Consequentially, he was so happy that he didn't notice Sirius becoming suspicious.

"So, what are the plans for today?" managed Sirius through a mouthful of bacon at breakfast.

"R—"

Harry had almost suggested the Room of Requirement, but then remembered Sirius hadn't known what that was last year.

"Couldn't sleep last night," he lied, "So I decided to go for a little exploring, but you were dead asleep, mate. Anyway, I think I found something new. Follow me."

For some reason, Sirius didn't look at all convinced. Harry was confused, but this was hardly the time to question him when he himself was point-blank lying with every word he spoke.

"You comin'?"

Sirius looked sadly at his half-eaten breakfast, then nodded and said,

"Yeah, but I bet you 10 galleons I already found it!"

A confident grin found its way onto Harry's face.

"You're on," he replied, "Let's go—I promise it'll be worth it,"

They started walking through the hallways. Suddenly, Harry said,

"Quick--think of what you want more than anything right now."

"I wouldn't say no to some food." Sirius grumbled. "What's this all about?"

"You'll see."

After about another minute of walking, they reached the entrance.

"Concentrate hard on, er...food, then."

"Alright," said Sirius, looking doubtful,

After about 15 seconds, a door appeared. Harry opened it and stepped inside—gone were the cushion, spellbooks, and everything the D.A. needed. Here—Harry suppressed a laugh—here was a soft couch, surrounded by food, all of which were separated in to different categories: breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, candy...

"Whoa!" exclaimed Sirius, "How in Merlin's name—"

As Harry explained what the room did, he could just see Sirius's brain working overtime to think of all the ways they could put this to use. Like pulling one over Snape, for instance.

"You owe me ten galleons, mate," said Harry.

--

_Sirius's POV_

They stayed in the "Room of Requirement" for hours, just taking, laughing and eating, but Sirius's contentment kept being interrupted by thoughts of doubt and suspicion. Like the fact that Sirius was always a light sleeper, or that he knew for a fact James had been asleep—which meant that James was definitely hiding something from him. He was his _best friend!_ Did he honestly think that he wouldn't notice anything?

Fortunately for James, the Room of Requirement was a great place to think up pranks. In no time, they had a plan, and after carefully observing the Marauder's Map, they had a general idea of where the Slytherin common room was. Oh, this was going to be fun!

Sirius stationed himself at Point B, their common room, covered by the invisibility cloak. Eventually, a couple oafs led him straight to the entrance and got him the password ("basilisk"). Everything was going according to plan, except for one problem—Sirius was not what you would call a patient guy. He was supposed to be waiting for James to reach him after gathering supplies at Point A, the kitchen. Sirius started fidgeting. Where was he? He shifted his feet.

_God curse stinking ADD._

Sirius pulled the tow-way mirror out of his pocket.

"James," he whispered. His best friend's face appeared looking happy to see him.

"Sirius?" he said, "What's up?"

"Are you almost here?"

"What are you talking about?"

"_Are you almost here?_ With the food?"

James looked completely bewildered.

"No, I'm not! Why would I be?"

Sirius was starting to get irritated. Was this some kind of a joke? If it was, it wasn't a very funny one.

"You know why! The prank? The Slytherin common room? The Room of Requirement?"

James was looking at him like he was insane—which was probably true, but that was beside the point.

"First of all, I don't even know what the 'Room of Requirement' is! And second, I'm at my house—like I _said _I would be—for break."

He turned his mirror around to show him the inside of the Potter Manor. Now Sirius was bewildered—what was he on about? He'd been hanging out with him for almost two days! Then he was angry—he hadn't been hanging out with James; he'd been hanging out with some kind of _imposter!_ Sirius said a hasty goodbye and waited for J..._the imposter_ to arrive, more impatient than ever.

--

_Harry's POV_

This was taking Harry longer than he'd expected—for one thing, he didn't have Sirius to help him carry all this. Then there was the fact that he didn't have the invisibility cloak, and kept having to dodge teachers.

Eventually, he found his way to the dungeons, almost falling over with the weight of the bulk in his arms.

He wanted to stay here and do this forever. Not only was seeing Sirius fulfilling his dreams, but the way there were living was more fun than Harry had ever had.

"Sirius," he whispered, ready to start having fun.

Fun was not what he was going to get.

Sirius ripped off the cloak, looking angrier than Harry had ever seen him.

"Who _are_ you?"

--

**Author's Note:** Oooo, cliffhanger! Get used to them...cause you'll be seeing a lot of 'em...Oh, and I have a new story in the works, so keep an eye out for it! ReViEw!


	5. Explanations

**Remembering Sirius**

_Chapter 5-_ Explanations

**Author's Note:** Thanks _so _much to everyone who reviewed--**Elaine02, cassie89, LouLou Writer 2005, **and **SecretWanderings.** I really, really, really appreciate it, and it gets faster updates!

**Elaine02: **Good! Here's your update.

**cassie89: **Is this soon enough?

**LouLou Writer 2005: **Good thoughts...people didn't really like the way I went about writing this on MNFF, so I tweaked it a bit...tell me if it goes over okay.

**SecretWanderings: **:spy theme music: I'm on it.

Harry felt his stomach turning. How could Sirius have found out! He had just begun to let loose and live free...things had been going perfectly—hadn't they?

"Who are you?" Sirius repeated loudly.

_No,_ thought Harry. _I can't lose him—not again._ He plucked up his Gryffindor courage and found his somewhat unsteady voice.

"I—I can—explain—"

"Good, because I would REALLY like to hear your excuse!"

"Let's—could—could we go—"

"I don't' care, let's go, let's go anywhere, I just want to know why you've been impersonating my BEST FRIEND!"

Harry didn't want to be overheard. Where could he go? Sirius was starting to get annoyed with his lack of response.

"The Room—Room of Requirement."

He waited for a response, but didn't get one. Sirius raised his eyebrows and gestured in the direction of the Room of Requirement.

"_Well?"_ he demanded.

"Right," said Harry, and started walking. He glanced occasionally over his shoulder at Sirius, who was fuming. What was he going to do; what was he going to say? _Hi, Sirius, I'm from the future, pretty much everyone you care about has betrayed you or died, including you. It was mostly my fault—sorry about that, mate. I defeated Voldemort once, and I'm destined to do so again, does that clear everything up for you?_

Harry almost laughed bitterly at this. Seriously, what was going to happen?

They reached the Room of Requirement with Harry's insides squirming as he tried to think of any kind of explanation. He'd lied when he said he could explain, but he didn't think it was a lie at the time. How could he have known how his mouth would go dry every time he tried to speak, or how it would feel as if he left his stomach behind when he thought of the trouble he was in? No, he couldn't have known that it hurt him more than his scar burning to see Sirius sitting before him with anger, hate, and distrust in his eyes as he impatiently waited for an answer. An answer that Harry had no idea how he was going to give.

He'd have to lie again. He'd have to! The truth would _kill_ him—who wants such a bleak future to look forward to, even if for only as long as Harry was there? No one, he decided. He'd have to lie—but he would at least tell the partial truth.

"Weh—" started Harry. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Well, I guess you want to know who I am."

Sirius gave him a look that clearly said, _Could you be more obvious?_

"Right," said Harry, turning red, "I'm not James."

Sirius gave him a look of irritation, saying, _You did it! You were more obvious!_

Harry was tempted to keep stating the plain—it was much easier to talk with Sirius in his head then to carry on an actual conversation, but he knew he had to go on. Here goes nothing, he thought.

"I'm his son."

Sirius opened his mouth and spoke out loud this time.

"You're WHAT! You expect me to believe some cock-and-bull story about how you're from the _future!"_

"Yeah," said Harry sheepishly.

"Let me get this straight—you somehow, miraculously get your hands on a Time-Turner, which is pretty near impossible, and use it to come and see _me?"_

"Well, yes—and no. I came here to see you, but I didn't use a Time-Turner. It was a Pensieve."

"Don't be daft, you can't converse with people on a Pensieve!"

"You can on Dumbledore's," said Harry quietly.

Sirius gave a bark-like laugh.

"So what—you somehow find out that you can do this on Dumbledore's Pensieve, and sneak into there to use it? Yeah, right."

But the look on his face told Harry that it sounded exactly like something Sirius would do.

"No—Dumbledore told me. Actually, I had to figure it out on my own. He—er—thought it might be...good for me to see you at...at my age."

"Why?"

Harry's heart sank—he'd so been hoping he wouldn't have to answer that. What could he say?

"Well, I'd...I'd been having a pretty rough time, and I couldn't—er—talk to my parents, so—"

"So why were you having a rough time? And why couldn't you talk to them? And why not see your parents here, instead of me?"

"Well, I wanted to go back to ex—exactly how old he was, but I didn't realize he wouldn't be here..."

"There are three problems with your answer. One—why would James be at Hogwarts over Christmas break? And two—Dumbledore supposedly set this up, right? Well, he's got to be the smartest wizard in the world, so how would he not remember a simple thing like James's Christmas habits? And you're dodging my other questions!"

Harry was running out of excuses. Sirius was just like Fred and George—they acted like slackers, but they were very smart—and good at reading people.

"Well, the thing is—"

"The thing is that you're not telling me the truth—AGAIN! You don't want to mess with me, OR my friends...WHOEVER you are!"

Harry sat down and put his head in his hands. He couldn't get out of this one.

"I can't," he moaned.

"Can't what?" said Sirius, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"T-tell you."

"Well, why the hell not!"

He didn't want it to end this way; he desperately wanted to stay here and part with Sirius on good terms, but what choice did he have? Feeling torn, he looked at Sirius and said,

"I just can't. It's over, I'm going."

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Sirius roared, grabbing Harry by the arm as he turned to leave. "Not until I get some answers! Now, you're hiding something from me and I want to know what it is!"

Harry gave him a pleading expression.

"I'm trying to protect you."

"WHY?"

Harry could see Sirius wasn't going to take no for an answer. How could he explain? How could he get _out _of explaining?

"Because I don't want to hurt you."

"Oh, that's rich! The liar who pretends he's someone he isn't doesn't want to HURT MY FEELINGS! I've got news for you—I can handle WHATEVER'S thrown my way!"

"Even if it gave away your entire future?" Harry half-whispered.

"So you're sticking with the future story, then?" retorted Sirius skeptically.

"You could tell when I was lying earlier, ("ha!" grunted Sirius) so look at me now—does it look like I'm lying to you?"

Sirius narrowed his eyes and stared into Harry's. Suddenly, his features softened.

"No," he said, sounding as though he could hardly believe what he was saying. Harry couldn't either. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Will you hear me out, then?" he asked tentatively. Sirius paused for a moment.

"First...what are all the marauders' animagus forms and their names to go along with them?"

"You're Padfoot, a dog, James is Prongs, a stag, Peter is Wormtail, a rat, and Remus is Moony, a werewolf."

This seemed to convince Sirius more than anything else.

"I guess so," he mumbled. "But no more lies! Tell me everything that was true about what you already said."

"Well, I'm not James, I _am_ his son, and I came here via Dumbledore's Pensieve."

"Okay," said Sirius, nodding, "then tell me why you wanted to see me."

Harry hesitated. Sirius noticed.

"Haven't I already told you I can handle it? If it's about my—my future, then, well, this is only a Pensieve, right? Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but even with these so-called conversing with people charms, visiting memories can't change the past. Am I right?"

Harry nodded, knowing where this was going.

"So that means for only as long as you're here will I know what's going to happen to me."

Harry didn't even bother to nod this time.

"If I know something bad's gonna happen, and I know it won't weigh me down for the rest of my life, then all the more reason to make the time I have mean something and have fun...right?"

Harry sighed—Sirius was smiling. The cocky git knew he'd won.

"Fine," said Harry, but stopped. How much _should_ he tell him? Should he know about his friends, too? About how Peter betrayed him? About how James died?

He'd have to tell more lies to only tell him about how he'd died, and he didn't want to do that again. He'd have to start from the beginning—from the Prophecy.

Harry shuddered. This would be the first time he had talked about it to anyone.

"Well?" Sirius urged.

Harry closed his eyes for a second, then said,

"Here it goes—the condensed version of my life. Voldemort killed my parents when I was only a year old."

For a second, he looked deeply disturbed by the news of his friend's death, but then put on a straight face, probably remembering what he'd said about hearing the truth. He spoke to Harry.

"And your name is?"

"Harry."

"Harry," Sirius repeated, seeing how it felt on his tongue. "Go on—why didn't he kill you?"

"There," Harry said resentfully, "there was a—a prophecy. It said that, more or less, I was the only one who could defeat him, and I had to kill him or he would kill me."

Sirius raised his eyebrows at this.

"Go on," he said.

"Fine," said Harry, "so my parents knew about the Prophecy, but so did Voldemort—or part of it, anyway. They had to go into hiding—you were their secret-keeper, but at the last minute, you got them to change it to—to Wormtail. They didn't think Voldemort would suspect him, see. But Peter," said Harry bitterly, "he'd been Voldemort's spy all along. Too weak to resist him."

Anger spread across Sirius's face until he got control of his emotions.

"Yeah," Harry continued, "and told him they were hiding in Godric's Hollow. Voldemort killed them, but he couldn't kill me because my mother died trying to save me. He didn't know all of the Prophecy, or that it would be smarter to wait until I had grown to make a move. So when he tried to perform the Killing Curse, he transferred some of his powers to me—like being a Parseltongue."

Harry brushed aside his bangs.

"And he gave me this scar.

"You went after Wormtail to kill him, but he set you up. He made it look like he was trying to kill YOU for betraying them, and wiped out a dozen people with one curse before cutting off his finger and transforming. So you were assigned blame for everyone's, including 'Peter's', deaths and went to Azkaban. He went to live with my best friend Ron's brother, and then Ron as 'Scabbers.'

"I went to live with my obnoxious, overweight relatives until I was eleven. Then in my third year, you asked Fudge—the Minister of Magic--for the paper when he came round the prison and saw Ron and 'Scabbers' because their family won the Prophet Galleon draw. You knew it was him cause of his missing toe, see. You had stayed sane only because you knew you were innocent, so when the dementors opened the cell to give you food, you transformed and slipped out to find Wormtail at Hogwarts. Everyone thought you were after me, though."

Sirius looked as though he couldn't decide what to feel--angry at Peter for putting him in Azkaban, or pleased that he was savvy enough to get out. He compromised by just nodding.

"Anyway," continued Harry, "at the end of that year, well—"

He stopped, trying to think of a way to say this without going on for hours.

"Long story short, Peter got away again, but so did you. It involved a certain unsubdued werewolf, a hippogriff, and time-traveling—with a Time-Turner.

"You went into hiding until my fourth year, when I wrote you because my scar was burning, and it had only burned before when I was near Voldemort."

"Wait," said Sirius, "You saw Voldemort AFTER this!"

"Well, yeah," said Harry, "Um, anyway, they held the Triwizard Tournament that year for the first time in a long time, but there was an age-restriction, and most of my friends and I were underage. But one of Voldemort's supporters was pretending to be—"

"Sounds like someone I know."

"Was pretending to be Mad-Eye Moody, who was teaching—"

"You mean Alastor Moody? Why's he called Mad-Eye?"

"WHO WAS TEACHING that year. He put my name in the Goblet of Fire under a different school, and it picked me as the Fourth Champion. He did everything possible to make sure I got to the Cup first and turned it into a Portkey. Only problem was, Cedric—the other Hogwarts champion—got there at the same time I did, and we had both helped each other out a lot. He wanted to be noble and let me take it and I couldn't talk him out of it, so I told him—I told him to take it with me."

Harry paused again, steeling himself for what was coming next.

"It took us to a graveyard for Voldemort's rebirthing ceremony. Wormtail killed Cedric as soon as he saw him. He came back to life, I escaped, and Fudge didn't want to believe it, so all through my fifth year he spread the word through the Prophet that Dumbledore was losing his touch and I just wanted more fame.

"At the end of that year, Voldemort lured me to the Department of Mysteries to get me to take the Prophecy and force me to give it his followers so he could hear the rest of it. Dumbledore had kept me in the dark, so I was gullible enough to be swayed by his farce. There was a battle. The Order of the Phoenix—you know what that is, right?"

Sirius nodded.

"The Order of the Phoenix came, including you, even though you were supposed to be in hiding. Most people got injured, but you—you died."

Sirius looked horrified. Harry had been afraid of this—what if he changed his mind and said it was too much? What if he told him to go back where he came from?

But Sirius put his emotionless face back on and just nodded again.

_Thank Merlin,_ he thought.

"It hit me pretty hard because you were my godfather, and as good as a parent. I felt horrible; I thought it was my fault. Eventually, people from the Ministry showed up and had no choice but to accept the fact that Voldemort was back. Dumbledore gave me 'time to heal' and this opportunity for...for closure...do you still think you can handle it?"

"I don't know…this might take a little getting used to…I mean, I know what I said before, but it's kind of a heavy burden to carry."

"And a prophecy isn't? I'd _kill _to only have to know about the prophecy for a couple days! …Unfortunately, I'm going to have to kill anyway."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm really tempted to just send you back, but…"

"Please…_please don't."_

Sirius sighed, seeming to have come to a decision. Harry only hoped it was the right one.

"Fine…I guess—I guess I could try not to think about it…like I said before, though—Dumbledore's the smartest wizard ever, so wouldn't he know that someone who can (he puffed up his shoulders proudly) break out of Azkaban would see right through you?"

"I guess...I guess he wanted you to know so that we could be closer. Wait a minute—how _did_ you figure it out?"

"Oh, _that,_" said Sirius, and grinning, he told Harry the story.

When he'd finished, he said with a smirk,

"One last question—who's you mother, eh?"

Smirking back, Harry said,

"Where's the fun in telling you? Oh, no--you'll have to figure it out on your own."


	6. Don't get excitedAN

I'm really really really sorry to everyone who reviewed or just read this story. To put it simply: my life has gotten way to hectic. I have absolutely no time to write anymore. I barely even had time to write this! Seriously, I have so many things going on right now and I feel _horrible_ because I hate when an author abandons a story, but it's just not possible for me to continue w/ this right now. Maybe, when I have more time over summer or break or something, I'll pick up where I left off, but as for now... Well, all I can say is I'm really. really. **_really_** sorry.

If you want to read the 8 chapters I posted on Mugglenet, go to my profile and click on the link.

Sorry sorry sorry a million times over!


	7. Chapters 79

**Author's Note:**

**Idon't think it's any secret that I've grown extremely displeased with this story. Being my first fanfiction, it's not at all up to the standards I'd like to have for it. Saying that, if anyone would like to take over writing this story, send me:**

**Your name, pennameand age; names of previous works; sample of writing (preferably Marauder characterization, but not necessarily required); whether you would like to rewrite all chapters or pick up where the story leaves off.**

**There's no age requirement and the writing sample doesn't have to beperfect,so please don't worry about that.**

**My new story is called A Cruce Salus, for anyone who's interested. Hope to hear from any prospective writers soon!**

Chapters 7-9

**Chapter 7**

Harry had thought they were having fun before...but look at them now!

He never thought it would be better, more fulfilling somehow, to be with Sirius in his own identity. He had never been so happy to be, not James Potter, but Harry James Potter.

Since the..."talk", they had completed the Slytherin prank (basically just vandalizing the entire common room while under the invisibility cloak—the looks on the Slytherins' faces had been priceless!), convinced a first year girl to use Myrtle's bathroom, and levitated their lunch into Sean Finnigan's bag.

Harry laughed so much that he thought he was going to suffocate more often than not. Now was one of those times.

Sean turned around and slung his bag over his shoulder. Suddenly, he slapped his neck, and when he brought his hand back, it was covered in an unrecognizable substance that Harry and Sirius knew to be the perfect mixture of everything on the table.

Sean gave a high-pitched, girlish yelp—one that rather reminded Harry of Ron in their second-year "incident" with the Acromantula. Opening his filth-riddden bag, he discovered that the "substance" was all over his things. He swirled around as if to find the culprit, or in this case, culprits, but the persons responsible were already making their way out, clutching their sides and almost falling over.

"That—was—bloody—brilliant!" managed Sirius through endless gales of laughter.

"B-better go," replied Harry with enormous strain, "he-he'll be out h-here...s-soon."

"Com-Common Room?" suggested Sirius as a couple of third-years passed by, looking quite terrified at what appeared to be two laughing maniacs blocking the entrance.

"No," he said, wiping a tear from his eye, "he'll be going there. It's about t-time we took a-a trip to Hogs-Hogsmeade, don't you th-think?"

"Definitely."

And so, laughing uncontrollably like the maniacs they were, they made their way to the statue of the hump-backed witch.

Harry almost had his laughter under control now...nope, there it went again.

The witch was just around the left corner, but Sirius turned right and ascended a long staircase. Harry's laughter was now partly confused, making him sound more like someone who's just escaped from the psych ward than ever. After another 15 seconds, he finally got control enough to ask Sirius (who was still laughing),

"Where are we going?"

Sirius's laughter died downed...er, eventually, and he feigned shock.

"Doth mine ears deceive me? James Potter's...son doesn't know the quickest way to Hogsmeade?"

"Yeah, I do, but you're going the wrong way! The hump-backed witch is over there!" said Harry, pointing in the direction they came.

"Wait," Harry continued, as they neared a tapestry. "Fred and George showed me this on the map. This is the entrance to..."

"Zonko's, yeah. Who're Fred and George?"

"But doesn't Filch...?"

"Who's Filch?" asked Sirius as he opened the tapestry to reveal a winding staircase.

"Caretaker—knows about this place, so I never got to use it. Let's go!"

They followed the stairs' circles for a couple of minutes with their wands lit. Eventually, they stopped. Harry thought they were there, but his wand revealed a long tunnel similar to the one that led to Honeydukes. They trudged on through the damp passageway for a long time while conversation ensued to keep them occupied.

"Who's your mother?" asked Sirius for what seemed like the millionth time since Harry had decided he wouldn't tell him.

"Why are you the only one at Hogwarts?"

"You're changing the subject."

"So what if I am?"

"If I answer that, will you tell me?"

"No."

"Fair enough. James invited me to his house, but I got the first ever Christmas break detentions for flooding the library."

"What the—how in Merlin did you do that!"

Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment.

"It was an accident, really," he said.

Harry smiled in the dark at how Sirius was the only person he knew who could flood a library by accident.

Finally, they reached another staircase—going up. When they got to the end and opened a door, they came out into what was unmistakably the Zonko's attic.

Boxes and boxes of items for the perfect practical jokes lined the walls, stacked up in rows that went up to the ceiling. Sirius reached into an open one nearby and pocketed something Harry couldn't make out.

Walking down to the main part of the store, Sirius didn't even bother to hide himself. He seemed to be a regular here, even when he wasn't supposed to be, and the people behind the counter looked like they could've graduated from Hogwarts last year.

Sirius placed two sickles on the counter and showed them what he had taken, which Harry could now see read, "Zonko's Low Risk, Minimal Danger Explosives." They nodded.

Sirius and explosives? Harry wasn't so sure there would be low risk and minimal danger involved.

"Where are we going?' asked Harry as they stepped out into a snow-covered Hogsmeade.

"Honeydukes."

Sirius and explosives and food? How about high risk and minimal fun—for anyone besides them.

Sirius stared half-interestedly at the Honeydukes candy. The current owner of this place was nothing like the last they had encountered. There was a single man, old and seemingly untrusting of students. It was annoying to be constantly surveyed as though you were going to try to run off with his products...although he wasn't wrong to be wary of them.

Suddenly Sirius tripped and knocked over an entire shelf of candy. The man heaved an enormous sigh of irritation and shouted at him,

"At least TRY to be more careful! Every time you come in here you manage to wreak havoc on the entire store!"

"Evanesco," Harry muttered under his breath, pointing at a batch of Sugar Quills.

"The entire store?" countered Sirius. "I only knocked over one section this time and I think you're being particularly harsh." He looked at the shop owner with mock hurt in his eyes.

"Erm...Mr. Whatever-your-name-is?" interrupted Harry before he started screaming again. "You're out of Sugar Quills."

Angry shop-owner guy looked at Harry as though he would like nothing more than to hex the robes off him, but thought better of it. He went to the back, looking very disgruntled and muttering about good-for-nothing kids.

"Now," whispered Harry.

Sirius took the explosive out of his pocket and threw it into the middle of the room.

"RUN!" Sirius bellowed at him.

They sprinted out of Honeydukes just as it went off, covering the place from ceiling to floor in unlikely combinations of Honeydukes sweets. They stayed for one look at the shop, then ran like bloody murder until they were out of sight. They collapsed, laughing, next to some rubbish bins outside of the Three Broomsticks.

The door opened and Lily Evans came out.

Harry's laughter died away. His mother put her hands on her hips.

"What was it this time?" she asked coldly. "Whatever it is, I'll have you for it."

Harry couldn't even manage to open his mouth, let alone form words.

Something inside Sirius clicked. He was looking back and forth at Harry and Lily. Slipping back into reality, he said,

"What are you doing here, Evans?"

"Staying here over Christmas break."

"Well, then...I daresay you'll find out soon enough. Let's go, James."

Harry didn't want to leave his mother, whom he had only met in dreams, memories, and ghostly interactions, but he had no choice but to trail behind Sirius.

When they rounded the corner, Sirius, unable to contain his excitement any longer, said,

"It's her! Your mother is Lily Evans! Dear GOD, she HATES James, how did this HAPPEN?"

Sirius looked overjoyed that his friend had succeeded. Harry was smiling as well—he was glad Sirius had figured it out.

"How'd you guess?"

"I just noticed your eyes are different...and they look exactly like hers! And the way you reacted...Merlin, Lily Evans is your mother!"

"You're insane."

But it wasn't Harry's voice that spoke these words—or even Sirius's.

Harry turned his head to see Lily staring at them.

**Chapter 8**

"You're insane," Lily declared.

"How're we insane?" demanded Sirius.

"You've—you two have—stooped as low as saying—saying I'm his MOTHER!" she spluttered out frustratedly.

"And?"

Harry went pale.

"AND—saying rubbish like that is NOT going to get me to go out with him!"

Harry let out a sigh of relief. She thought this was a ploy to get them together!

"You two will do ANYTHING to...to...argh!"

She stormed off, leaving Harry and Sirius where they were.

"Got quite a temper, that one, doesn't she?" remarked Sirius rather conversationally.

"You okay, mate?" he continued when Harry didn't say anything.

"Yeah," said Harry slowly. "I just—it's—I don't know, it's just—weird, you know?"

"Nope," said Sirius cheerfully, "hey—why don't you spend time with her, too? I mean, she i>is /i> your mother and all."

"No," said Harry abruptly.

"Why not? I mean—"

"NO! I'm sorry, but I barely knew her. She died when I was a baby. It's almost as if she didn't exist. It would be too weird—we'd have nothing to talk about, and she hates who I'm supposed to be!"

"But when Dumbledore let you use his Pensieve, I'm sure—"

"Just drop it, okay! I've had enough," said Harry, quite shaken, and turned to leave.

"Whatever," mumbled Sirius, trailing behind him this time and knowing enough not to push the subject.

_Lily's POV _

Lily ducked into the shadows as Sirius and James passed her...if that was even who they were. She'd thought they were rotten liars at first, but listening to their conversation made her think twice. For one thing, she'd checked, and he i>did /i> have green eyes. i>Her /i> green eyes.

_Snap out of it,_ Lily she told herself_. They _can't_ be yours._

But James had looked and sounded so solemn, so...unlike James. And he was so defensive...they both really seemed to believe what they were saying.

_Stop it._

But why did he say 'who I'm _supposed_ to be'? That didn't make any sense. And what else had he said? Dumbledore's Pensieve? That didn't make any sense either, unless...

_Unless nothing! You're being completely irrational_

...unless the Pensieve was charmed...and she really couldn't put anything past Dumbledore...

_Yes, you can._

But Lily had made up her mind. She was going to speak to the headmaster. She was too confused to make a decision for herself, and while she couldn't trust those two's words, she was positive she could trust Dumbledore's.

Lily's parents were Muggles, so she had been staying at Hogsmeade by herself—she'd wanted to be able to practice magic, but she also wanted to see her parents, so she'd compromised by coming to Hogsmeade on Boxing Day. She would've gone to Hogwarts if it hadn't been for that arrogant jerk Sirius, but apparently, she couldn't even get the long break from his idiotic antics she needed here. Anyway, what it came down to was that she could leave Hogsmeade without consulting anyone, so she did.

Suddenly, she stopped walking and realized what Sirius had meant when he'd said, "I daresay you'll find out soon enough—the Honeydukes owner was sitting in his shop, in the middle of an atrocious mess, with his head in his hands.

There was no need to wonder who the culprits were.

Lily quickened her pace and reached the Hogwarts gates within minutes. She strode across the grounds, almost running in anticipation.

Eventually, she reached the castle and Dumbledore's office. Unfortunately, she'd forgotten about needing the password. Lily had never, in all of her six years at Hogwarts, had reason to be sent here, so she had absolutely no inkling of what the password might be. The gargoyles guarding the office stared at her unblinkingly.

"Erm...Gryffindor?" she tried. "Hogwarts? Transfiguration? O.W.L.s? N.E.W.T.s? O.W.L.s _and_ N.E.W.T.s? Prefects? Interhouse Unity? Er...Quidditch? Chudley Cannons? Bludgers? Quaffle? Snitch? Chaser? Keeper? Beater? Seeker? Aargh!

"Order of Merlin? Supreme Mugwump? Wizengamot? Ministry of Magic? Chocolate Frog Cards?"

At this, both gargoyles stopped snickering at her frustration and, looking quite put out, stepped aside and let her through.

Astonished at her good luck, Lily stepped inside and saw the door shut behind her. Seeing a long, winding staircase, she approached the first step and started ascending it, but on the second one, it began to move by itself.

Lily's arms flailed as she temporarily lost her balance, and she would have tumbled off had her swinging limb not caught on to a railing. Once she was safely back in place, she waited until the spiraling staircase reached an end and stepped off, somewhat relieved.

Lily knocked on the door and was answered with a,

"Come in."

Walking into the headmaster's office, she found she had no idea what to say. Everything that came to mind seemed foolish, if not downright intruding.

So she began with the obvious.

"Hello, Professor Dumbledore."

"Lily! Well, I must say, I never thought I'd be seeing youin here," he said with that ever-present twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh no! It's_ nothing_ like that! I just wanted to ask..."

What _did_ she want to ask him? Whether James was really James, or if there was some kind of imposter here? If it was possible to converse with people on a Pensieve, or if you could go back years and years on a Time-Turner?

_WHETHER SHE AND JAMES WOULD REALLY GET TOGETHER!_

"Yes?" prompted Dumbledore. She had to say something.

"Erm...well...you see, the thing is..."

"Yes?"

"Is James Potter staying at Hogwarts?" she blurted out quickly.

"I can assure you, whatever your reasons are for wanting to know, that Mr. Potter is spending Christmas break away from Hogwarts, with his family."

"Are you sure, I mean _absolutely positive_ that there is _no way_ he could have come back early?"

"Ms. Evans, I have my ways of knowing where my students are at all times. I could summon him for you, if you wish, but—"

"Oh NO! That's not what I meant—not at all! I'm sorry to waste your time, but I really have to go!" she said in one breath, and rushed back out. Lily didn't stop running until she was all the way back to her rented room above the Three Broomsticks. When she got there, she sank onto her bed and groaned.

How was this happening? What did this mean? If James Potter was at home, who had she seen? She had been so surprised to hear Dumbledore tell her that that she'd even forgot to mention James and Sirius's little prank.

She just couldn't be her rational self right now—there were too many things working against her! Hearing Potter and Black say something off was one thing, but _Dumbledore.._

What was going on?

Staying up here wasn't doing her any good. All she could do was brood on an unsolved mystery—something she _hated_--but a butterbeer over some of her unfinished homework might be refreshing. So she gathered up her half-finished Charms essay and headed down to the bar.

_Sirius's POV _

Sirius had sensed how completely adamant Harry was about not talking to Lily, but he couldn't see why. Sure, he would rather never step foot in Zonko's again than willingly engage in conversation with _his_mum, but somehow, Evans didn't seem like the overbearing mother type.

So instead, he'd suggested a butterbeer—or firewhiskey, if they could manage it—at The Three Broomsticks. At first, it looked like nothing would revive Harry's sullen mood, but even after failing their attempt at scoring a firewhiskey, he brightened up considerably. In a warm and cheerfully decorated atmosphere, with butterbeer in your stomach, (and Madam Rosmerta to look at) it's hard not to.

That is, until they saw Evans rush past them.

Sirius thought Harry would ignore it, and he was ready to follow suit, until Harry said,

"Well, I guess this is where she's staying."

He had gotten all tense, and the silence that followed these words was awkward.

"I guess so," remarked Sirius lamely.

Conversation was somewhat forced until a couple minutes later, when Lily came back down. Then there was no conversation at all.

She spotted them immediately, and did something strange. She didn't fume or avoid them, like she usually did—she walked straight over _to_ them!

When she reached their table, Sirius noticed an oddly hesitant look on her face—she seemed to be deciding what to do.

Finally, she blurted it out.

"Who_ are_ you!" she said to Harry.

**Chapter 8**

Things had not been going well for Harry lately. For the second time in two days, he'd been asked the question he feared the most—who are you?

The first time, it had been Sirius—and thank _Merlin_ he had been so understanding! Sirius was a very trusting person, but now--_Lily.._

Her cheeks were turning red—it was obvious that she had been acting a little out of character by blurting out a potentially embarrassing question on both ends, and she knew it.

Before he had a chance to say anything, Sirius interrupted.

"You got us," he said sadly, "James has a twin."

"Don't give me that—that—who is he, really?" said Lily, now more annoyed than embarrassed.

"Who do you think he is?"

Harry silently thanked him—this was a perfect way of figuring out how much she knew without revealing anything to her that she didn't.

Lily looked quite flustered.

"Well, honestly, I...I don't know!"

"James Potter, perhaps?"

"No!"

"Ah, that is because this is _Jane_ Potter, his gender-confused twin."

"You are a piece of work! Tell me the truth!"

"You don't believe me?"

"No!"

Lily bit her lip. Harry stayed silent, but he was extremely grateful that Sirius was trying to avert the conversation, despite what he'd said earlier about Harry spending time with Lily.

"And why not?"

"It...it doesn't matter! And anyway, I wasn't talking to you!"

"Well, we need to establish who you think you're talking to before you talk to said person."

She threw him a very annoyed look, and turned to Harry, all dignity forgotten in frustration of dealing with Sirius.

"Who are you?" she asked Harry again. When he didn't answer, she said, "Look, just tell me—are you or are you not James Potter!"

Harry and Sirius exchanged a look of defeat before noticing the looks they were getting from other people.

Finally, Harry spoke.

"Do we have to do this here?" he asked quietly.

Lily looked startled at suddenly making progress.

"Oh! Of course not! We could go to the room I rented upstairs, if you'd like."

"Of course he'd—wait, no he wouldn't," cut in Sirius. Harry gave him the annoyed look this time, but Lily just looked confused.

"Let's just go," said Harry.

"How do I know you're not lying?" asked Lily with her head in her hands.

Harry had just told her more or less what he'd told Sirius.

"Well...I don't know as much about you because Aunt Petunia never talks about you, but I have your green eyes...are you okay?" he asked when she didn't look up.

"It's a little upsetting; do you expect me to take this cheerfully!"

"I did," cut in Sirius...well, cheerfully.

"Well, I never did understand how your mind worked!"

"Think of it this way—moping about something you can't change is a waste of time. Now, if Harry had come here via Time Turner and could change things, i>then /i> I would be interested in doing something about it. Unfortunately, that would take more turning then possible, and it's not like we have to live with this knowledge forever. And are you upset about the fact that your kid will be orphaned, or that you'll have your kid with James?"

"I just need time to...mull this over. I guess I'll see you later...maybe." she said, ignoring Sirius's last question.

That was Harry's cue to leave, but he couldn't stand to see her hurting.

"So, are you just going to stay up here and mope around? Because, believe me, it's not going to do you any good at all. I spent my entire semester doing exactly that, and it only made me even more depressed and screwed up than I already was. Don't do that. Learn from my mistakes—someone should," said Harry on impulse.

Lily looked up at this. A mix of emotions played across her face—shock, pity, confusion, realization, and finally, acceptance...at least, he hoped.

"So, what do you want me to do? Walk around like nothing's going to happen?"

"It's better than this," he said, motioning to her place on the bed. "You don't _have_ to do anything—but you already know what the better choice is. Let me know when you're ready."

And with that, they left Lily to her decision.

"I'll have a tall Chai frappaccino with whipped cream," ordered Sirius at Madam Puddifoot's.

Harry wasn't even bothering to contain his laughter.

"Hey!" said Sirius, "I have a prank in mind, but we might as well get something while we're here!"

This made Harry laugh even harder.

"I bet you don't even have something planned, you just wanted to come and get your regular at this macho, manly place."

"Not true!" said Sirius as he got his drink and sat down.

"Alright, then, what's this so-called prank?"

Sirius pointed his wand at the sugar bowl.

_"Salsus,"_ he muttered.

Nothing happened.

"Ah, yes," said Harry seriously, "I have seen the error of my ways."

"It's salt, now, you git! It's a classic prank."

"Hah! Give it up, you're not fooling anyone!"

"Fine...but I do have something planned for later..."

_Lily's POV_

Lily lay on her bed, thinking about everything. Her son (she had a _son_) had just told _her_ not to mope around because it wouldn't do her any good. Her only child was going to have a miserable life, and she wouldn't even be there to see it! How was she supposed to get over that!

But as much as she didn't want to admit it...Sirius had been right. So had Harry. The circumstance was just too different from a normal one to spend it all like this. Nevertheless, she still couldn't process all this information. She had a son—with James Potter, of all people! Her son was the only one who could defeat Voldemort (she was muggle-born, and not afraid of the name). She wouldn't live to see her son's second birthday! How could this happen to her? How could this happen to him?

Lily knew the way her mind worked. She would stay up here for hours, just going over everything in her head until some of it made sense, but the thing was—none of this was ever going to do that!

She shivered. Was it cold in here, or was she just freaked out? A little bit of both, she decided. She could use a hot drink—but she was getting sick of butterbeer. So she hurried over to her favorite place for tea—Madam Puddifoot's.

It was even colder outside. She quickened her pace, but as soon as she stepped inside the shop, she saw Black and...Potter. Terrific.

Ignoring them, she got her tea and sat down. They were watching her. Sighing, she moved to their table.

"I wouldn't do that—" said J...Harry as she reached for the sugar bowl.

"Another ingenious prank, I gather?" Lily replied.

"Nope—I think Sirius is losing his touch."

"I am not!" said Sirius hotly.

"Yeah, I understand. You just prefer this place to The Three Broomsticks or The Hog's Head," said Harry mockingly.

"There's nothing wrong with this place," cut in Lily, "...and what's 'The Hog's Head'?"

"Ah, Lily," sighed Sirius, "You have so much to learn."

**Author's Note: Well, there you have it.. Contact me if you're interested.**


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